Dishwashing rack



y 21, 1964 R. ETTLINGER, JR 3,141,552

DISHWASHING RACK Filed June 5, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a i a A 2 1:16 2 INVENTOR.

Halo/r 51/1/21 8, Jr.

am, fi am l Anys July 21, 1964 R. ETTLINGER, JR

DISHWASHING RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 5. 1961 United States Patent 3,141,552 DISHWASHER RACK Ralph Ettlinger, Jr., 1370 Lincoln Ave. 5., Highland Park, Ill. Filed June 5, 1961, Ser. No. 114,917 1 Claim. (Cl. 211-41) This invention relates in general to a dishwashing tray and more particularly to a one piece rack for carrying a plurality of plates or dishes and which may be used in either push-through or automatic commercial dishwashing machines and also capable of economical and efficient handling.

In any dishwashing arrangement an important objective is the minimizing of breakage, but this is difficult to achieve where a plurality of dishes are to be simultaneously carried through a washing cycle. Also, since dishes or plates are of considerable variance in size, it is necessary that the means for carrying the plates be sufficiently versatile to carry different sized plates at the most advantageous washing position, while at the same time holding them sufficiently to minimize possible movement and resulting breakage.

A rack for securely and safely carrying a plurality of plates of variable size most advantageously through a washing cycle is complicated by a number of factors. These factors include the necessity of providing a plateretaining structure of economical design, while simultaneously permitting sufiicient versatility to be utilized with both push-through and automatic washing machines.

Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide a one piece rack structure for securely carrying plates of variable size through a washing cycle in a substantially predetermined advantageous washing position.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a one piece dishwashing rack structure of the character described that may be utilized with either push-through or automatic washing machines.

It is therefore still a further object of the present invention to provide a one piece dishwashing rack structure of the character described that is capable of being stacked.

Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent on examination of the following specifications, claims and drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention; wherein FIG. 1 is a plan view of the rack structure of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the rack shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3 of this invention; and

FIG. 5 is a view of a portion of the underside of the rack.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a dishwashing rack incorporating the principles of the invention and indicated generally by the reference numeral is integrally formed from a moldable, fibrous or plastic material. The rack comprises a support member or body portion 12, which, as may be determined from FIGS. 1 and 4, covers an area large in comparison to its thickness. The support member 12 is rectangular in outline and comprises a lattice or matrix of intersecting integral girders or struts 13 formed in a coordinate array with respective girders 13 parallel to respective perpendicular axes of the rack 10. The girders 13 are comparatively narrow and placed at substantially 2 centers so that equally dimensioned openings 14 are formed between the pairs of intersecting struts 13. The girders 13 are reinforced by the integralice 1y formed diagonal braces 15 extending from opposite corners of the openings 14 and intersecting at the center of the respective openings 14.

At each intersection between the girders 13 or at each coordinate point an upwardly extending integrally formed projection 20 is provided. The projections 20 are formed of intersecting tapered vertical segments and provide a bearing surface against which the plates are supported.

At this point one of the most advantageous features of this invention will be noted. The plates or dishes should be supported at approximately 15-45 degrees from the vertical in order to be in their most desirable position. By dimensioning the projections 20 to be at least as great and preferably greater than the distance between projections 21!, any plate laid against the projections 20 will form the long leg of a right triangle having an angle of about 1535 degrees with the vertical, depending on depth of the dished portion of the plate, as shown in FIG. 4. The preferred angular relation is about 1525 degrees with the vertical.

From FIGS. 3 and 5 it will be noted that the girders 13 are substantially T-shaped with the cross sectional area of the girders 13 being comparatively small. The braces 15 are substantially I-shaped and serve to rigidize the rack structure against distorting movement or stress of the rack in a direction transverse to the cross sectional area of the short or horizontal leg 21 of the girders 13 and therefore those stresses are adequately resisted. In addition the depending or long legs 24 of the girders 13 enables the rack 10 to be adequately supported for carrying heavy loads without sagging.

A perimeter rim 16 is integrally formed around the periphery of the body portion 12. It will be noted that rim 16 is separated from body portion 12 along two opposite sides by the spaced apart retaining elements 18 formed between the body portion 12 and rim 16. The retaining elements 18 are provided with openings to permit the tray 10 to be engaged by apropriate propelling or displacement means in an automatic washing machine while the depending walls 19 thereon aid in supporting the tray.

The rim 16 is actually a U-shaped formation with the bar of the U comprising a somewhat short portion 23 and with the open portion 25 of the U facing downwards and of wider dimension than the short portion 23. This open portion 25 is defined by the leg portions 26 and 27 of the rim as seen in FIG. 4 which taper towards the short portion 23. These leg portions 26 and 27 are also formed integrally with the ends of elements 18 and aid in the support of the rack. A short integrally formed retaining flange or wall 28 is provided at spaced intervals between the two tapered walls of the rim 16 adjacent the short portion 23. The walls 31 prevent excessive separation between the walls of the rim 16 and permit force applied at one wall to be easily and efliciently transferred to the other wall or rack proper. Since the bottom of the rack 10 terminates at substantially the same level, a plurality of racks may be stacked one upon the other and maintained substantially in stacked position for storage and shipment.

In the preferred practice, the pegs 20 are dimensioned to have a height greater than the depth of the rim 16 whereby the pegs project upwardly beyond the rim. When, however, the pegs terminate flush with the rim or below the rim, the racks can be stacked more easily, one on the other, in an interfitting relation about the interfitting edges with the rim portion of one received partially within the recess of the other.

In FIG. 2 it will be noted that wall 26 of the rim 16 has a recess 28. A similar recess is formed on the opposite parallel side of the rack 10. Each recess 28 permits an operator fingers to be inserted into the opening 25 between the two perimeter walls 26 and 27, while enabling the rack and dishes to be maintained level for manual operation.

In substance then the rack may be placed in either an automatic or push-through washing machine. f placed in an automatic washing machine the elements 18 provide suitable engaging surfaces for carrying the rack in a desired position while if placed in a push-through machine the rack may be directed from either side.

Dishes, such as 28, indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 4, are stacked in the rack by placing the dish rim in one of the openings 14 and adjacent one of the girders 13 and allowing the plate or dish to tilt so that the dished portion 30 engages a pair of projections 20 carried at respective coordinate points in the adjacent row of girders. The plate rim, as it curves upward, engages a pair of projections 20 at the coordinate points in the same row as the girder 13 adjacent the rim. A plate of just about any size whose diameter exceeds the space between projections 20 will thus be securely held between four projec tions as its own Weight causes it to bear against those projections. With the chosen dimensions the plate or dish will be tilted anywhere up to 45' from the vertical depending on the depth of the dished portion 30. The dishes may be stacked in any desired array, that is parallel to one or the other axis of the rack. The applied soap and water, of course, flow together with the food particles and other residue down through the openings 14 and no retaining depressions appear in the rack to capture impurities so that a more thorough cleansing process is permitted.

There has been described one embodiment of a dishwashing rack which permits plates of variable size to be securely stacked in a one piece rack at a most advantageous washing position and operated in either an automatic or push-through washing machine, but whose inventive concept is best described in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

A dishwashing rack adapted to support a plurality of plates of varying sizes comprising a peripheral rectangular frame member, a plurality of horizontally disposed struts connected to and extending across said frame in a direction perpendicular to the side walls thereof, said struts intersecting and thereby forming a plurality of spaced apart openings Within said frame, said intersecting struts comprising integral girders, crisscrossing brace members extending in the openings formed by said struts, said brace members being integral with said frame, a plurality of vertically extending projections located in the intersections of said struts, the length of said projections being approximately equal to the spacing between said intersections whereby said projections are adapted to engage the back side of plates carried by said rack at a point less than the diameter of said plates whereby said plates can be held between adjacent pairs of said projections at susbtantially the same angle irrespective of the size difference between said plates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 233,340 Fithian Oct. 19, 1880 378,369 Hyer Feb. 21, 1888 1,167,548 Davis Jan. 11, 1916 1,853,888 Williams Apr. 12, 1932 $2,424,475 Madan July 22, 1947 2,479,118 Jenness Aug. 16, 1949 3,009,579 Ettlinger Nov. 21, 1961 

